So is it a good thing if the IE800's impedance graph is flatter? I was thinking that maybe if there is no variation in impedance level throughout the spectrum, it would be easier for the driver to move much more smoothly.

It only means that an impedance miss match won't affect the sound signature.

I think both sets of headphones will sound awesome,and to be honest it will be down to each individuals tastes,I did own a pair of Shure se-530's and was very impressed by their sound,but I was not to keen on the way they fitted into my ears.

I think I like the overall design and fit of the Sennhiser's and think I may opt for them,but I don't think whichever way you go you will be disappointed as both will look and sound amazing. :)

True. Not saying either is subjectively better, it's just preference. Even if SE846 skews with output impedance of the DAP, if the listener prefers it, the listener prefers the skew.

Here is what I posted regarding output impedance and ie800 flat impedance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverEars

Yes, Multi-BA iems will have crossovers that will cause impedance peaks and etc.. Not to mention, phase non-linearity, since it is multiple drivers pumping out the sound and all the drivers will not be totally in sync, and single driver doesn't run into that problem. Take a look at the IE800's impedance graph. It's flat which means there will be no skew caused from output impedance being close to iem's impedance at certain frequencies. Power will be distributed evenly throughout the spectrum like orthos.

846>800 any day, any genre. 846 is much more versatile in my opinion. 800 was a mistake to buy, I returned it within 1 hour of listening. Another thing that turned me off was the non-removeable cable, and proprietary oval tips. 846 fits like a glove and sounds much more balanced. You also get the option of changing the sound through the filters. Just a much better IEM overall.

Going by my ears... I don't mean this to be an insult to the brand, but I would only keep a set of IE800s if they were a gift. I listened to a new pair out of the box for a little while and they didn't sound anything remotely natural to me. Every part of the frequency spectrum sounded artificial and synthetic. Bass was limp, mids were off, highs were metallic, everything sounded like there was a weird coating on it. It was the first time I'd ever just been CONFUSED by a headphone of any sort at any price range. I've certainly not felt many were worth the money or realized that they're great at what they do but not for me (the Grado RS1i springs to mind), but the IE800 just left me wondering what the hell I was listening to.

I have a feeling that for people who like the IE800 they will LOVE the IE800. The SE846 doesn't really compare. They sound nothing alike. TBH If I felt the SE846 was too expensive I'd skip the IE800 entirely and grab something like a Westone W4.

Going by my ears... I don't mean this to be an insult to the brand, but I would only keep a set of IE800s if they were a gift. I listened to a new pair out of the box for a little while and they didn't sound anything remotely natural to me. Every part of the frequency spectrum sounded artificial and synthetic. Bass was limp, mids were off, highs were metallic, everything sounded like there was a weird coating on it. It was the first time I'd ever just been CONFUSED by a headphone of any sort at any price range. I've certainly not felt many were worth the money or realized that they're great at what they do but not for me (the Grado RS1i springs to mind), but the IE800 just left me wondering what the hell I was listening to.

I have a feeling that for people who like the IE800 they will LOVE the IE800. The SE846 doesn't really compare. They sound nothing alike. TBH If I felt the SE846 was too expensive I'd skip the IE800 entirely and grab something like a Westone W4.

Pretty close to what I thought about the 800. I think 846 is priced right, wouldn't even mind paying 1200 for the IEM.

I've heard both along with the se535's, personally, I really like the ie800's, they have the most amazing soundstage I have ever heard!. Initially I liked ba iems for their clarity but owning a set of jvc fx700's converted me to dynamic. It's just as it says, dynamic and engaging. One gripe I had with the fx700's however was speed, they had great slam and detail but the large driver was simply too slow. I think sennheiser has found a happy medium with their 7mm driver which has awesome slam and impeccable speed.

I can understand why people criticize them however as they have a poor fit, microphonics and bass emphasis(less so than the se846 though) but they fit me perfectly out of the box so I'm lucky I guess, I also kinda like the bass emphasis as it's good for low level listening and wearing in public, but mid bass is pretty much flat so it doesn't affect the mids. Speaking of mids, the mids are the best I've heard, the se846 have forward mids of astounding quality but the ie800's have more clarity at the cost of intimacy. I would say they are flat not recessed. The highs are also good, I believe better than the 846, that's just my opinion, for me the highs were more prevalent on the ie800's and I thought they were more extended.

The soundstage..... It was the first thing I noticed when I listened to them for the first time, it was so expansive and had remarkable depth, as good as my on ear headphones if not better, and soundstage width seemed endless as well. The se 846's also have a large soundstage but it seems to be limited unlike the endless ie800 soundstage. They are also the first iems I've had that have such a coherent soundstage, the sounds behind you are in as much detail as the frontal soundstage on most other top echelon iems. Being vented helps as the limit to the soundstage seamlessly blends into the ambient sound around you, but of course it raises issues like isolation. I found the isolation to be much better than I expected but the se846's have this in the bag, they block out so much, more so than etymotic earphones for me, the ie800's block about the same as klipsch x10's with single flange if you get the right fit. One thing that really tops the scales to the ie800's is convenience, they have a conventional fit which combined with a shirt clip results in zero microphonics and pushing them in more until you feel the suction grants a perfect fit every time. They are also the most comfortable iems I have worn. I thought the x10's were comfortable but after wearing the vented ie800's the suction effect created by the sealed housing disturbs me. Another note is timbre, the ie800's have way better timbre than the se846's and sound much more natural to me. If you've entered the audiophile game on the shure sound Sig sure the ie800's are v shaped but to me whose only ever had flat or v shaped item's I can tell they're pretty flat except for sub bass which is never congested, super fast and I like very much, the shures, both 535 and 846 seem too bright and forward to me but I can appreciate that the se846 is a very good iem, I just prefer the ie800. Also since the ie800 can be had for around $500-600 New they are much better value than the 846's, just get the ie800's for home and a set of see535's for out and about and pocket the extra $100. Apologies for the wall of text, hope it helps anyone on the fence with the purchase of these two engineering marvels. One other thing, that sound tuning filter feature on the 846 is pretty useless, it just attenuates the sound, pretty much everyone prefers the flat filter and they won`t drastically change the sound sig and have a negative impact of actual sound quality.Edited by ryanjsoo - 1/14/15 at 12:34am

Coming from the IE-8's & the IE-80's I always considered myself to be buying the IE800's. "LUCKILY" I did buy the 800's which "UNFORTUNATELY" turned out to be fake. Just imagine paying approximately 825$ and when you receive the item you just cant believe what you are seeing. fortunately the seller was human enough to refund the amount minus the shipping cost. In short I lost a 100$ in the whole deal for my own mistake of not buying from an authorized dealer which I will come to in a while.

Now i absolutely loved the IE80's for their sound stage and the bass they produce but what i see on the web is the other way around. It seems that different people have different listening preferences and different opinions. And that's 100% the moral of the story. No one can guide you to get this or that based on their personal experiences until you yourself check the stuff in person. And i know for headphones its almost impossible to hear them in most of the regions until you buy them and listen to them.

As for me, where i stay its almost a war to get these things easily, let alone listening to them before buying which eventually led me to buy fake 800's online. Now after all that said, I eventually bought the SE846. I don't know why when and how.May be in the back of my head i wanted something like the IE-80's which had removable cables and the ability to tune the sound a bit. I personally feel that the IE800's are less value for the money even though i "ALMOST" bough them, i still feel that Shure some how is providing more durability. Of course all the reviews and impressions and comments that i found online throughout my research on the SE846's & IE800's did give me some idea but mostly this research confused me a lot more than it helped me out.

Again i would like to stress that i ordered the SE846's online from a reputed site this time as they were not available in my region as the IE800's. They are still in transit and i really wish they sound good to "MY EARS" if not i will definitely return them and go for the IE800's because by the end of the day its all about sound signature that you love. And in my case i have to buy it to test it. But yet even though i decide to keep IE800's i will curse Sennheiser every day for not giving us an option of detachable cable. The reason i went for the SE846 was the bass thingy which is advertised this time by Shure. And this is my first Shure product ever as i always wanted to check it out. So lets see :O) just wanted to share my experience and wanted to emphasize that there is a very big possibility what sound signature you like might not be liked by others and vise versa. So until you don't hear something no one can explain it to you for sure. Any how will update my experience once i receive my SE846. Peace.

I have both IEMs and have been listening for more than three months. First I will make some comments on convenience.

The SE 846 are quite awkward to fit and stick out from the ear. Their cable is stiff and the even stiffer bit for the over ear part is an irritant for me. There is a good choice of tips and personally I find the triple flange to be best but tricky to insert.

The IE 800 gives a very limited choice of conventionally shaped but specialised tips. I didn't think it was possible to fit third party tips but see some have tried comply with success. After my initial disappointment at not being able to use my favoured triple flange I find I can can get a good fit with the medium tip. I always jiggle it on fitting to make sure the bass is there. After that they are comfortable and inconspicuous.

The microphonic noise from the IE800 cable is annoying : the cable needs to be kept very still to avoid it. I have not been bothered by microphonic noise on the SE 846.

Since the SE846 is transparent and the innards are red for right and blue for left there is no problem identifying the correct ears. The IE 800s on the other hand are identical apart from a minuscule L and R on each. This is annoying especially in poor light. I overcome it by always putting the right ear piece in the right side of the box and inserting accordingly.

On balance the IE 800 is the more comfortable but the microphonics are a drawback. The SE846 is so large and has such a stiff cable that one is discouraged from using them.

Now for the sound quality. Once properly located I prefer the IE800s overall since their sound is more balanced and homogeneous. The SE 846 can be more aggressive in the treble and the bass is sometimes exaggerated and separate. However, these distinctions are very fine and I think most people would be impressed and satisfied with either. It is this equivalence that makes me stress the differences in convenience where I think the Sennheisers are superior.

The alternative nozzles and response patterns on the Shure are I think a gimmick and of little value. It will be noted that most reviews finish up preferring the neutral nozzle.

The Sennheiser case is very stylish and convenient with cut outs for the IEMs and a wrap round facility for the cable. The Shure has a conventional hard pouch into which the stiff cable has to be jammed and, inevitably, tangled.

Overall then I choose the Sennheisers. Incidentally both sound better than the Westone 60 (and 50 and 40) which are relatively muffled.